​​​​​​​Bhubaneswar, July 16:Thousands of devotees turned up despite heavy rain to witness the annual Shri Gundicha Rath Yatra at Patali Shrikhetra in Odisha's Subarnapur district on Thursday.

The idols of Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath were taken out in the traditional Dhadi Pahandi procession and placed on their chariots. The sacred Chera Pahanra ritual was performed before devotees began pulling the chariots, with women leading the chariot of Devi Subhadra. The chariots were pulled up to the shrine's main junction, while the remaining procession and Adapa Pahandi ritual will be held on Friday.

Devotional music and cultural programmes marked the occasion. Patali Shrikhetra, located at the foothills of Trikuta Hill, is a revered pilgrimage site closely associated with the history of Lord Jagannath, where, according to the Madalapanji, the deities were once hidden for 144 years during the invasion of Raktavahu before being reinstalled at the Jagannath Temple in Puri.